Psalm 22 - Why Have You Forsaken Me?

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent. (Psalm 22:1-2)

It sounds like God didn’t keep his promise. Jesus himself utters these words while crucified on the cross recorded in Matthew 27:45-50:

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Didn’t God say, in Matthew 3:17, at Jesus’ baptism, “"This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."? Yet look at Jesus now. He is crying out for help. How can the Father be pleased with his Son and then torment him, reject him?

I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.

Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.

I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.

They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing. (Psalm 22:14-18)

Imagine doing everything you possibly can. You work above and beyond at your place of employment. You study hard and take on extra assignments at school. You spend extra time working in your home or sacrifice your personal life to take your children/child somewhere. And, after doing all this and more you are informed that you are NOTHING. You are less than nothing. You are despicable. You are disgusting, and, to top it off, these are words spoken to you by those whom you have strived to help! Would you keep on doing all the extras if that is all that you ever received – hatred and scorn? No.

But God did. He promised to help you and me even at his own expense. He promised to forgive us our filthy pride and self righteousness. He promised to wash us clean of our narrow love, our love for human tradition rather than the broadness of his eternal love, and our preference to better ourselves than those who have not yet heard the sweetness of the pure gospel of forgiveness in Christ.

He promised to do this knowing what it would cost him. His Son – Jesus. Jesus had to suffer pain. He was nailed to the cross. Agony. He hung there dying. Suffering. Our sins were placed upon him. Separation from eternal holiness – God. All of the punishment we deserve eternally because of our sins – God placed on his Son, and his Son took it upon himself willingly. Why? Because he loves us. He loves us so very much. He made a promise to save us, knowing the cost, and he kept it. I cannot help but be overwhelmed by this promise made in love. I cannot help but stop and marvel at the eternity, in love, that God gives to me in Jesus. I cannot help but tell others of God’s promise made and kept in Jesus.

Tags: